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Three of a Kind
}} Team Evil's plan unfolds with three Xykon's leading three divisions towards Azure City. The party must determine which one to face off with and which ones are decoys. Cast * The Order of the Stick ** Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶ ** Haley Starshine ◀ ▶ ** Elan ◀ ▶ ** Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶ ** Durkon Thundershield ◀ ▶ ** Vaarsuvius ◀ ▶ * Hinjo ◀ ▶ * General Chang ◀ ▶ * Sangwaan ◀ ▶ * The Army of Azure City * Redcloak ◀ ▶ * The Monster in the Darkness ◀ ▶ * Xykon Decoys ** Eye of Fear and Flame ◀ ▶ (as Xykon ◀ ▶) ** Death Knight (as Xykon) ▶ ** Huecuva (as Xykon) ▶ * Skeletal Steed ▶ * The Horde of Xykon Transcript Solider: They're moving in, Sir. General Chang: Prepare to hold this breach at all cost, men. Vaarsuvius: You may consider all of my spellcasting services at your disposal, General. Vaarsuvius: I do not believe I have the luxury of returning to my assigned position before the enemy is upon us. Chang: We'll take all the help we can get. Chang: I don’t suppose you have any spells that will seal this hole in the wall? Vaarsuvius: Not exactly, but I do have an idea... A wide scene of the Azure City castle, the breached wall, and the opposing armies. The horde has split into three groups. Hinjo (inset): They're splitting into three groups now...one is headed to the south end of the wall. Hinjo (inset): The second appears to be charging directly towards the breach in the north. Hinjo (inset): The remainder of the forces are hanging back to protect the archers and catapults. Hinjo stands holding a spyglass speaking with Roy and the rest of the party. Roy: OK, is Xykon leading any of the three groups? We should attack whichever army he's with, while your forces hold off the rest. Hinjo: Ummm...yes. Yes, it seems so. Cut to a wide-eyed Xykon wearing an orange amulet marching with four hobgoblins. Hinjo (inset): He appears to be leading the southern division. Eye of Fear and Flame: Hey, so, guys? Maybe, I was thinking, you could sort of form like a shield around me while we advance? Eye of Fear and Flame: Just a suggestion. Elan (inset): Are you sure? Cut to a Xykon mounted on a skeletal steed holding a scimitar and wearing a green amulet. Elan (inset): Because he's also leading the charge toward the breach! Straight at Vaarsuvius! Death Knight: The ground will hungrily lap up the spilled blood of the righteous this unholy day! Durkon (inset): Aye, but if tha be Xykon... Cut to a Xykon wearing a violet amulet standing with Redcloak, MitD, and some archers. Durkon (inset): Then who be tha holdin' position in tha rear? Redcloak: Interesting... Greenhilt is here, with his Order of the Stick... Hecuava: Who? Redcloak: Never mind. Cut back to Roy on the wall. Roy: Wait—three Xykons??? Elan: This can only mean one thing— Elan: They're identical triplets! Identical skeletal triplets, the rarest kind! Roy: Or that two of them are decoys. Elan: Right, or that. Hinjo: The question is, which two? Hinjo: Sangwaan, cast True Seeing. Which ones are illusions? Sangwaan: I cannot tell, Lord Hinjo. My True Seeing spells do not have sufficient range from this position. Elan: Ooooo! Does one of them have a goatee?? Because if so, that's the bad one! Roy: Elan, I think maybe it's Quiet Time while the grown-ups think, OK? Belkar: Here's an idea: Who the hell cares?? Let's just fight them all! Roy: Oh, great. Tell me, then: which one first? Roy: They're so far apart that if we choose the wrong one, by the time we engage and defeat the decoy, the real Xykon will have blown through Azure City's defenses like a crossbow bolt through a wet character sheet. Roy: It will take too long to get from one end of the city to the other, and we're the only ones with a chance to actually defeat him. Roy: Wait, Hinjo! Did you ever raise that wizard your uncle sent with us to Cliffport? The one who could cast Teleport? Hinjo: When did you go to Cliffport? Roy: ... Roy: Damn. Hinjo: The nobles probably employed a few wizards who could teleport, but if they did, they took them with them out to sea. Roy: Great. So there's no way out of it, we have to pick one to fight. Haley: We need to help Vaarsuvius! Xykon's nearing the breach! Roy: Unless that's a decoy, in which case it's smarter to leave V to handle it alone. Cut back to the wide-eyed Xykon. Roy (inset): Either way, we need to choose soon... Eye of Fear and Flame: *gulp* Cut back to the mounted Xykon. Death Knight: CHARGE!! Heucuva: Did they take the bait yet? Redcloak: No, they appear paralyzed with indecision. Hecuava: Meh, that works, too. Monster in the Darkness: Xykon is a triplet?? D&D Context * True Seeing a 5th level cleric spell, has a range of 120 for the conferred True Sight. In any case it would not reveal the true Xykon if it isn't an illusion. Trivia * The origin of the decoys is explained in Comic #431, "My Three Xykons". * The Huecuva decoy with Redcloak legitimately doesn't know who the Order of the Stick are, but his response is the same as the real Xykon's would be, who never seems to remember Roy. External Links * 426}} View the comic * 37525}} View the discussion thread Category:The Battle of Azure City